Education, Government Spending, Labor

In case you missed it…

John Tsarpalas

 

Anniversary Dinner (September 17th, in Las Vegas)

Nevada Policy has announced that Dennis Prager — best-selling author, columnist and nationally syndicated radio talk show host — will be our keynote speaker at the Institute’s Anniversary Dinner on September 17th, at the Venetian in Las Vegas! Prager is the founder of Prager University, and his radio show is heard by over two-million listeners on 150 stations across the country! The evening is bound to be fantastic, so be sure to reserve your tickets before we run out of seats! (Click here to learn more, or to register.)

 

Teacher union strike

It is illegal in Nevada for teacher unions to go on strike — that was the deal they agreed to years ago when the state consented to let them represent teachers who didn’t want unionization. But now the Clark County Education Association is threatening to hold schoolkids hostage. (Read more) It’s unclear right now just how much of the union’s strike talk is actually a bluff — after all, roughly 45 percent of Clark County teachers aren’t even members of CCEA, and it’s unclear how many of the remaining members would actually be willing to endure a strike. Nonetheless, the district should prepare itself for a legal fight with a union that seems very willing to abandon classrooms — and the students who depend on those classrooms — over a dispute with district officials. (Read more)

 

Special education

The Clark County School District has a long history of being sued for ill-treatment of special-needs students. (Click here for Nevada Journal’s in-depth reporting on the issue.) Now, the district is facing yet another egregious case of abuse. (Click here to watch the news report.) Perhaps just as disturbing as details outlined in the lawsuit, is the fact that the teacher who is accused of abusing two special-needs children still has a valid teaching license and is currently teaching special-needs students in Nye County. (Read more)

The inability of government’s monopoly education system to protect the most vulnerable children in the state should be reason to unite lawmakers for expanding educational choice policies — at least for special-needs students. Unfortunately for these students and their parents, Democrat leadership instead spent the last legislative session effectively killing the state’s only funded educational choice program, Opportunity Scholarships. (That effort, by the way, is being challenged in court. Click here to read more)

 

“Free” college

“Free” college is, of course, not actually free at all. Nonetheless, it’s become the political promise of choice by modern Democrats on the national stage. (Watch an excellent parody video of this by reason.com here.) However, in addition to being fiscally irresponsible, such a policy would actually restrict access to higher education for individuals who don’t come from well-connected families or elite high schools, as demand begins to outstrip supply. That’s the lesson the United Kingdom learned by fully subsidizing college for nearly four decades — which is why, as counter-intuitive as it may seem, the UK has actually made college more accessible to more people by moving to a tuition system. (Read more)

 

National Employee Freedom Week

The monopoly power that labor unions have over a workplace is something that no one, not even the rank-and-file union members themselves, particularly enjoy. Unfortunately, rather than embracing policies that would empower workers with more freedom and help fix the more detrimental aspects of monopoly representation, labor leadership around the country has gone the other direction — focusing on expanding its control over the workforce. (Read more)

John Tsarpalas

John Tsarpalas

President

John Tsarpalas is the President of the Nevada Policy, and is deeply committed to spreading limited government ideas and policy to create a better, more prosperous Nevada for all.

For over three decades, John has educated others in the ideals and benefits of limited government. In the 1980s, John joined the Illinois Libertarian Party and served on its State Central Committee. Later in the 90s, he transitioned to the Republican Party, and became active in the Steve Forbes for President Campaign and flat taxes.

In 2005, he was recruited to become the Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party where he graduated from the Republican National Committee’s Campaign College, the RNC’s Field Management School, and the Leadership Institute’s activist training.

Additionally, John has served as President of the Sam Adams Alliance and Team Sam where he did issue education and advocacy work in over 10 states, with a focus on the web.

John also founded or helped start the following educational not-for-profits: Think Freely Media, the Haym Salomon Center – where he served as Chairman, the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity and Midwest Speaking Professionals.

A native of Chicago, John now lives in Las Vegas with his wife of more than 40 years.